January 19, 2025   6 MIN READ

Snow Looking Back!

Birds Survive Feisty Rams In Snowstorm, Set To Host NFC Championship

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PHILADELPHIA – Not until late in the first quarter did snow began furiously coating Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday in an NFC Divisional game, but the inclement conditions certainly impacted the play of the home Eagles and the Rams over the remainder of the game.

While both teams traded blows in the first half, the Eagles controlled much of the second, doing enough to stave off the Rams to win 28-22 and advance to the NFC Championship against the Washington Commanders, which will be played next Sunday at the Linc.

This game might forever be remembered for Saquon Barkley’s 78-yard galloping touchdown through the snow. The All-Pro, who’d pulled away from the defense, twice tapped the right side of his helmet in exhilaration as he reached the 25, apparently coming to the realization that his team was on the verge of punching its ticket to the conference championship game.

First, the Eagles needed to survive some Rams fourth-quarter momentum. On the Rams’ last drive, with the Eagles up six, Jalen Carter’s pressure forced Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford to throw incomplete on fourth down and essentially end the comeback.

The Eagles were holding a 19-15 lead when Eagles EDGE Nolan Smith flashed, committing a strip-sack of Stafford that was recovered by linebacker Zack Baun. The 8-play, 19-yard drive resulted in a 37-yard Jake Elliott field goal, extending the Eagles’ lead, 22-15.

Earlier in the fourth, with Los Angeles down by one, Rams running back Kyren Williams was met by Carter, who dislodged the ball amid the slippery, snowy playing surface.

Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers was there for the timely pounce, returning the fumble 40 yards, setting up Jake Elliott’s 23-yard field goal, extending the Eagles’ lead to 19-15.

Eagles quaerterback Jalen Hurts completed 15 of 20 pass attempts for 128 yards while adding another 71 on the ground. Tight end Dallas Goedert led in the receiving department, reeling in all four targets for 56 yards.

Barkley, who rushed for more than 250 yards in a regular-season game against the Rams, this time rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.

Elliott, the embattled Eagles kicker, connected on all three field goal attempts, although he missed two point-after attempts that helped the Rams stay until the end.

Defensively, the Eagles picked up four sacks and safety Reed Blankenship led the unit in tackles (6).

Jalen Hurts getty

GETTY IMAGES: Eagles QB Jalen Hurts’ 44-yard TD run on the opening drive was the longest of his career.

Let’s get to the observations.

*Eagles inactives Sunday included QB Tanner McKee (3rd QB), CB Eli Ricks, DB Lewis Cine, OL Nick Gates, OL Darian Kinnard, OL Trevor Keegan and WR Ainias Smith.

* The Rams won the coin toss and elected to defer, putting the oft-scrutinized Eagles offense on the field first. The Eagles got off to a fast start, producing a 6-play, 74-play drive capped by a 44-yard Jalen Hurts scoring scamper down the right sideline. Most notable about the drive was Eagles opening with a pair of pass plays, which Hurts completed for 14 and five yards, respectively. OC Kellen Moore crafted a script that got the ball out of Hurts’ hands quickly.

* Strong start for veteran CB Darius Slay, who appeared to read the eyes of his former teammate, QB Matthew Stafford, breaking on passes and contesting catches. Funny enough, on Friday, Slay had a red gasoline tank placed outside his locker, courtesy of DBs Coach Christian Parker. The post-it note attached read: “How much gas do you have left in the big play tank?”

* LB Oren Burks – not rookie Jeremiah Trotter Jr. – got the start alongside Zack Baun. While Stafford had some success early targeting the middle of the field, Burks made a nice play, knifing through traffic to stop Rams RB Kyren Williams for a loss on a 2nd-and-2. Jalen Carter sacked Stafford on the ensuing play. Burks’ play is one that’ll get overlooked but showcased heady instincts and veteran prowess. Despite expectations, there wasn’t much of a platoon

* RG Mekhi Becton doesn’t get nearly as much credit as some of his OL counterparts, but the mammoth lineman demolished a Rams LB Christian Roseboom on Saquon Barkley’s 62-yard touchdown jaunt down the right sideline. Good vision and burst by Barkley, but the run illustrated the dominance of the Eagles’ offensive line.

* A lot was made throughout the week about the Eagles’ size advantage in the trenches. The discrepancy was most noticeable along the defensive line, where the interior proved to be extremely disruptive and dominant at the point of attack. Thought the Rams struggled mightily trying to run and block inside.

* RB Kenny Gainwell is just a good football player, one who the Eagles have a tremendous amount of confidence in, specifically situationally. Gainwell, who picked up a 10-yard run and 10-yard catch in the first half, also managed to produce a 44-yard kickoff return.

But on the play in which Jalen Hurts was sacked by Rams LB Omar Speights – a Philadelphia native – Gainwell lost his footing and was unable to stand in to pass protect. The playing surface, coated with snow, undoubtedly played a role in that.

* Shoddy tackling and sloppy play was a prevailing theme throughout the second half, evidently affecting traction and change of direction. The Eagles struggled with tackling, specifically corralling Williams, who showcased exceptional contact balance and body control on multiple runs. This isn’t a series of miscues that can just be attributed to the weather, but also a season-long inconsistency that surfaces from time to time. In a game where margins for error were so small, it came down to minute details.

* Eagles rookie CB Quinyon Mitchell endured a shoulder injury early in the game and would eventually be ruled out, thrusting 27-year-old CB Isaiah Rodgers to the perimeter opposite Slay for the majority of the game. While Rodgers found himself in good position on multiple Rams deep shots, he failed to make a play on any of them. The first, a 48-yarder to WR DeMarcus Robinson, looked to be a pass that Rodgers could have picked. The other – hard to criticize the coverage – was a 30-yarder down the left sideline to WR Cooper Kupp. Rodgers tried to get an arm in to disrupt the catch. Mitchell likely breaks it up.

*The Rams – who tallied nine sacks against the Vikings – continued their output, racking up six sacks against the Eagles. Rookie EDGE Jared Verse, in particular, notched two. Hurts held the ball and appeared slow to process on numerous occasions. Hurts also took a safety in the third. Not the best day for him from a pocket presence standpoint.

* While K Jake Elliott came up huge with the three field goals, his two missed point after attempts nearly came back to haunt the Eagles. Again, not sure it’s responsible to blame the weather, as Elliott last week also missed an extra point and has largely endured a shaky season.

– Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.

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